Another school year is drawing to a close, vacation plans will soon be realized, and that business phenomenon that closely resembles a summer malaise is just on the horizon. Amidst all of these, for most of us, during the months of June, July, and August life moves more slowly or at least you have some extended period where this is the case. Even though it may take longer to transact business in the summer, there seem to be margins in our schedule that we do not enjoy at any other point in the calendar. There are enough distruptors in the ebbs and flow of life that usually our lives are lived at a slightly slower pace. These different rhythms provide welcome opportunities to squeeze in more reading.

At the corner of Liberty and Albercorn in historic Savannah, Georgia, stands a monument to the work of the Roman Catholic Sisters of Mercy. Serving the city since 1845, the sisters pioneered the creation of schools, orphanages, and hospitals, most of which still thrive today. Over the years the sisters served students, orphans, slave children, and more. They battled yellow fever and nursed Civil War soldiers back to health. The newly minted unweathered monument describes this work and concludes, “They made historic contributions to this city in the fields of education, medicine, and pastoral care.”

As Human Resources (HR) professionals, we’ve all heard the phrase ‘seat at the table’; this notion that we must manage our careers in such a way to be included in senior-level business decisions in order to be considered successful. Many of us are over it.

It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it. Aristotle said that. Aristotle, the student of Plato, the student of Socrates, which is quite the educational lineage. But I’ll come back to that in a minute.

With the month of May coming faster than any of us would care to admit, so much of our time gets consumed with all things associated with the closing out of another school year. There are certain rituals that are associated with this time of year like expressing our gratitude for those teachers that have meant so much to our kids and because of that to us. The article below appeared in Comment Magazine in February and is by Chad Wellmon. After we catch our collective breaths from reading this article, we all need to deepen your appreciation for the important role teachers have especially since, "Social media have become the new custodians of knowledge."

Katelyn Beaty, of Christianity Today, challenges all of us to a new standard in how we as women think about ourselves, how the church thinks about women (regardless of its stance on women's ordination), and how men think about women professionally and in the church. These are challenges we all need to take more seriously. Many probably think the glass ceiling has been broken and that while there is room for improvement the progress that has been made over the years is fine. Unfortunately, this is just the latest iteration of the frog-in-the-kettle mindset.

Ambition is a complicated word for many Christian women. On one hand, mainstream culture champions female ambition, telling women that with enough education, planning, and grit, women can do and be all that they want, without giving anything up along the way. In many church subcultures, on the other hand, women with professional ambitions are encouraged to sacrifice their desires, learn contentment, and instead focus on others.

What are the important components to a thriving economy for the Greater Orlando Community? What is currently fueling the market engine for Orlandoans? How might your business grow or be better positioned because of an understanding of our marketplace? Will deepening my knowledge economic drivers make me a better neighbor?

Everyone would agree that the commercialization of all holidays is ridiculous, especially for Christmas. Often by the first week of December a holiday fatigued has already settled in, after all we have been seeing Christmas decorations in stores since October. It is hard to see any good that comes from the commercialization of Christian holidays.

Ten years on from the Great Recession, the faith and work movement finds itself growing in momentum and impact. Alongside our effort are other movements that have challenged our collective sense of America and how she is governed: the unique candidacies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump, the #metoo movement, Marches for Women, the Tea Party, Black Lives Matter, and more.